Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1887-01-28
NOISY FISHES.
Some Mysterious Scum DIS
That Come from the Sea.
Various Noises, Mu ioal and Otherwise,
Made by the Finny Tribe.

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Oftentimes noises that come from the
sea, and are seemingly unexplainable,
proceed from certain small animals.
That many fishes utter sounds is we'll
known; as many as sixty different spe--
cics Of finny vccalists have been heard
from time to time.
Anumber of years ago, while on
fishing trip in the Gulf of Mexico In the
vicinity of Yucatau, l hauled in small
psh, known to science as the Hgmulon,
and to sailors as the grunt; and never
was fish better named, as no sooner
did | take it in hand than it rolled a
most expressive pair Of eyes as far as
fish cou.d roll them and commenced an
appeal that quite astonishcd me. FIRST
! the grunts were low and uttered singly;
then they grew louder and faster, until
finally the fish hurled at me a perfect
volley OF sounds that accepted as an
cn'reaty for mercy and hurriedly tossed
him back. Later l caught many grunts,
and they were all very talkative out of
water, but whether these sounds could
be uttered in their native element it
would be difficult to determine.
DIR. c. G.. Abbott heard the mud sun
fish utter a deep grunting sound, and
the gizzard shad makes an audible whir-
ring noise. The club sucker utters
single prolonged note, while the catfish
produces gentle humming sound. Alb
bott believes, however, that the most
musical Of the fishes is the eel, that ut
tiers single note frequently repeated,
and has slightly metallic resonance.
The fact that the organ of hearing in
these musical fishes is very well devel-
oped would seem to point to the belief
that the notes were calls; and as the air
bladder in fishes represents to some ex-
tent the lungs of other animals, there is
no reason for not thinking that the
fishes have vocal communication.
The drumfsh is one of the loudest
takers in American waters. When the
nets are hauled on the Jersey coast, and
large numbers of dumbfsh ara. caught,
ter protests are often very loud. That
these fishes utter sounds under water
there can be no doubt. The sailors on
vessels anchored off shore have heard the
strange noise rising about them, and
described it MS booming, while others
thought it was occasioned by drums be-
ing beaten on shore. The fish utter the
sounds, according to some authorities,
by striking their pharyngeal teeth
together while other writers think that
they beat their bodies against the sides
of vessels to rub off certain parasites that
infest them.
A vessel lying in the China Sea some
years ago had remarkable experience.
The sounds that arose about her greatly
alarmed the crpw, and were described
by the captain as resembling escaping
steam, the changing of bells, the notes
OF an enormous harp, with others diff
cult to describe The concert lasted for
some hours and was attributed to a
school of fishes that was seen in the
vicinity.
That fishes utter sounds was known
in very early times, and Aristotle and
Action both refer to the sound uttering
fishes of the Mediterranean. The Cey-
lonese fishermen are familiar with a fish
found in the Lake of Colombo, which
they call 'magoora, that makes an
audible grunt when disturbed; and
Pallegox, in his history of Siam, re-
fers to brilliant fish, resembling our
fl under, which the natives call "dog's
tongue" that attaches itself to boats
bottom and gives out a variety Of
/ sounds.
Considerable excitement was occa-
stoned at Battcola, Ceylon, a number
of years ago, by the report that musi-
cal sounds were heard rising from the
sea in various places. Sir E. Tennent
visited the locality and interrogated
several fishermen who had heard the
notes, and described them as resem-
bling the faint sweet notes of an
Holian harp. According to the men,
they were only audible during the dry
season, and they had always known of
them, and their fathers before them.
They said it was not a fish that
sang, but a shell or mollusk
which they called in the Tamil tongue
the corie cooleeroo cradoo, or crying she'll;
the name evidently being an attempt to
reproduce the sound. The men soon
pointed out some of the musicians, which
proved to be the shells known to science
as Litlorina l@yis and Centhium palus.
Tennent engaged the men to take him to
the spot, and one moonlight night they
rowed him to a locality about 200 yards
northeast OF the jetty by the fort gate,
and while the boat rested in perfect
silence, not breath of wind blowing he
distinctly heard the musical notes,
"They anne up from the water" he
says, 'fike the gentle thrills of a musical
chord or the faint vibrations of wine
glass when its rim is rubbed by a
noistened finger. 1t was not one sus-
!ained note, but a multitude of tiny
sounds, each clear and distinct in itself;
he sweetest treble mingled with the
owest bass. On applying the ear to the
woodwork of the boat the vibration was
greatly increased in volume. The sounds
Varied considerably at different points as
We moved across the lake, as if the
humber of animals from which they pro-
.eeded was greatest in particular spots.